Doors Of India Campaign – Documenting the North Zone

Doors, and the mere mention of a door brings back the idea of stories that have remained untold. So, when the #DoorsOfIndia campaign came along, I was enthralled and immediately said yes! After mutual discussions, it was agreed that I would be covering the North Zone leg of the journey as an anchor and influencer. Doors were going to be the focus of our stories, and as easy as it sounded in the beginning – the campaign that unfolded in the end was a result of lot of hard work and toil.

Check : Doors of Varanasi : A Photo Story

Those who have been following me regularly on this blog and social media would have seen specific door posts from different places. Doors have long been fascinating for me and it was a sweet moment to see that the love had been noticed. As a professional travel blogger, it is immensely satisfying to work on a meaningful project that is in line with your passion. Thanks, Tata Pravesh and the entire team that worked on it, for this.

There was an immediate sense of comfort when it was revealed that this was for Tata Pravesh, a new brand of doors from Tata Steel. Doors that would have interesting history, architecture, intricate designs; doors that have seen royalty, doors that have seen entire kingdoms come and go. Normally, most people just walk past doors and even though some may be interested in a particular door; it is almost always forgotten after a glance. The Doors of India journey is an attempt to get everyone interested in doors and the stories that lie beyond …

#DoorsOfIndia is a campaign by Tata Pravesh documenting some unforgettable doors across various states in India.

My 2 week long journey began in Punjab; in Amritsar and our next stop was Panchkula before moving to Himachal Pradesh to document the rest of the doors.

Akhara Sangalwala in Amritsar

I had first visited Amritsar in 2015 and was blown away by the history and selfless door at Akhara Sangalwala. It was deemed apt to begin the North Zone journey from here. After reaching Amritsar, the entire team first made it to the Heritage walk to pay our obeisances at the Golden Temple and asked for blessings.

Brief detail about Akhara Sangalwala :

An ‘udasin’ is a person who is averse to the affairs of the world. Akhara Sangalwala is a place for the Udasin Sect and was established in 1781. An interesting fact is that ancient accounts state that even great Mughal Emperors like Jahangir and Humayun have walked through these doors.

 

For more details about the selfless door of Akhara Sangalwala, check the video.

Nirwan Priytam Dass, the founder of Akhara Sangalwala helped in bringing water from Ravi River to Amritsar via water channels to solve a water problem of the city.

Read : Doors & Havelis of Khichan – Part 2

RanjitVilas Farms, Amritsar

The second door of the North Zone journey led us to a castle like structure, run as a heritage hotel.

RanjitVilas Farms is a heritage family run homestay and has a vivid collection of antique doors. Most of the doors here are over 50 years old.

Our door in focus, the Zorawar Singh Gate is said to have been bought from a relative of Zorawar Singh’s family. For the uninitiated, General Zorawar Singh was a feared commander general of the Dogras and was responsible for the conquests of Ladakh, Tibet and Baltistan in the 19th Century.

More about the door of togetherness in the link below.

#DoorsOfIndia Video of RanjitVilas Farms, Amritsar

Ramgarh Heritage, Panchkula

Just as we enter the tiny village of Ramgarh, a massive arched entrance welcomes us. Ramgarh Heritage has a enviable mix of history and a collection of artefacts dating from the Rajput era.

There are pretty doors at turn of this heritage property. One of the doors has colourful paintings to compliment a very beautiful door frame.

The door in focus at Ramgarh Heritage is the door of the 150 year old Radha Krishna Temple. The rich history here is colossal in its nature and thereby signifies the door of royalty and respect.

To know more Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s connection with Ramgarh Heritage, do watch the video.

After these three doors, the journey moved to Himachal Pradesh. It was the middle of October and there was already a chill in the air in Baspa Valley in Kinnaur. That will be covered in a separate post, coming up next.

Read : The Havelis of Shekhawati

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